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Transport to the Afterlife – Ghanian Style! 特殊的死亡纪念：迦纳奇「棺」

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A Ghanian funeral is anything but a somber affair. The community fills the streets, music plays, and there is a celebratory atmosphere. Up the road, a giant fish appears to ___1___ above the crowd. Held aloft by family members, the two-meter-long sea creature gets nearer. It has been lovingly crafted from wood and meticulously painted. Bizarre ___2___ it may seem, this fish contains the body of the deceased and will serve as his final earthly resting place.

迦纳丧礼一点也不阴沈肃穆。街头挤满了小区的居民，阵阵音乐传来，空气中弥漫着庆典的氛围。前方的路上，有一尾巨大的鱼看似在人群上方飘浮。它是用原木精心刻制而成，还仔细上了色。虽然这看起来有些怪异，但这尾鱼里装着死者的遗体．且是死者在人世间最后的安息处。

For Ghanians, the passing of a loved one must be celebrated as well as mourned. People ___3___ honor the deceased’s life, viewing the funeral as life’s culmination. Furthermore, funeral-goers rejoice because the deceased is entering the afterlife. The journey from this realm to ___4___ must be dignified, yet carried out in style. This fantasy coffin craze has been sweeping the African nation since the 1950s.

对迦纳人而言，心爱的人过世，哀悼之余一定也要庆祝一番。人们充满喜悦地赞颂死者的一生，视丧礼为人生的终点及巅峰。不仅如此，参加丧礼的宾客皆满心欢喜，因为死者正迈入来生。因此，从这个国到另一个国度的这段旅程必须要庄重，但进行时又要不失气派。这股特色奇棺风潮自1950年代起便持续席卷这个非洲国家。

Carpenters can handcraft a coffin in almost any shape. The coffin should capture the essence of the departed, so ___5___-related designs are prominent: a businessman might be buried in an airplane, a fisherman in a fish. Sometimes a coffin might reflect a personality trait, or even a vice – coffin makers have carved caskets shaped like cigarettes and bottles of beer! These fascinating coffins don’t come ___6___ though. At US$400, it’s an average Ghanian’s yearly salary.

木匠可以手刻出几乎任何形状的棺材。而那口棺材必须要捕捉到往生者的生活精髓，因此与职业有关的主题设计很重要，例如生意人会安葬在飞机形状的棺材里，渔夫则是鱼的形状。有时候，棺材还会反映人格特征或甚至是恶习，棺材制造商还曾刻过香烟和酒瓶形状的棺木。不过，这些引人入胜的棺材价格不斐，400元美金的价码相当于一般迦纳人的平均年收入。

This cultural openness to death may seem strange when ___7___ to societies that treat the end of life as taboo. What do you think about the Ghanian perception of death? And, if you could have a coffin made, what would transport you to the afterlife?

与其他将人生终点视为禁忌的社会相较之下，这种大方看待死亡的文化可能有些奇异。你对迦纳人看待死亡的看法为何？而若是你有机会订作一具棺材，你会选择什么样的造型载你去来生呢？

−by Alice Davis

Vocabulary

单词发音

funeral [ˋfjunərəl] n. 丧葬，葬仪

craft [kræft] v. 精巧地制作; 手工制作﹐精制

bizarre [bɪˋzɑr] adj. 奇异的；异乎寻常的

earthly [ˋɝθlɪ] adj. 尘世的，世俗的

mourn [morn] v. 哀痛，哀悼

realm [rɛlm] n. 界，领域

carry out 实行, 执行 to put into practice or effect

essence [ˋɛsns] n. 本质, 实质, 精华, 精髓

departed [dɪˋpɑrtɪd] adj.【婉】死去的

prominent [ˋprɑmənənt] adj. 重要的; 著名的; 卓越的﹐杰出的

vice [vaɪs] n. 罪行，不道德行为

yearly [ˋjɪrlɪ] adj. 每年的，一年一次的

taboo [tæˋbu] n. 禁忌，忌讳

perception [pɚˋsɛpʃən] n. 观念；看法

transport [ˋtræns͵pɔrt] v. 运送，运输

More Information

单词发音

Ghanian [ˋgɑnīən] adj. 迦纳的；迦纳人的

anything but 根本不, 绝对不 not (usage notes: used to emphasize that something is the opposite of what you might expect)

somber [ˋsɑmbɚ] adj. 忧郁的；闷闷不乐的

affair [əˋfɛr] n. 事情，事，事件

aloft [əˋlɔft] adv. 在上面，在高处；在空中

meticulously [məˋtɪkjələslɪ] adv. 极细心地，一丝不苟地

deceased [dɪˋsist] adj. 已故的

culmination [͵kʌlməˋneʃən] n. 顶点；高潮的到达

rejoice [rɪˋdʒɔɪs] v. 庆祝，欢乐

dignified [ˋdɪgnə͵faɪd] adj. 有尊严的；庄严的；高贵的

fantasy [ˋfæntəsɪ] n. 幻想；梦想

craze [krez] n.（一时的）狂热；风尚

handcraft [ˋhænd͵kræft] v. 以手工做

casket [ˋkæskɪt] n. 棺材；骨灰盒

openness [ˋopnnɪs] n. 开明﹐思想开通

Ghana's coffin art

Ghana Coffins - Ghana

Answer